John Calipari has a long track record of churning out electric young guards, and Arkansas newcomer Boogie Fland may be the next in line to flash in his freshman season.
A five-star McDonald’s All-American and the fourth-highest rated commit at Arkansas in the modern rankings era, Fland is already exceeding high expectations from his new coach.
“Boogie is better than I thought he was,” Calipari said in his post-summer press conference with local media.
Fland is one of three Calipari commits at Kentucky who flipped to Arkansas when the headquarters moved from Lexington to Fayetteville, and the move to play for the Hall of Fame head coach was a no-brainer.
“I was already focused on him at Kentucky,” Fland said. “When he moved, he said the same things that he said when I was going to Kentucky.
“He didn’t really have to do anything big for me to go with him here at Arkansas. I always knew I wanted to be with Coach Cal, and we made it happen again.”
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Fland and his new teammates recently wrapped up an eight-week summer workout session where the theme has very clearly been becoming comfortable being uncomfortable.
“I feel like it’s going well,” Fland said. “It’s pushing us beyond our limits. They’re just trying to make us uncomfortable and get us in that mode of playing fast and doing exactly as he’s asking us to do.”
Fland is a dynamic playmaker who can serve as a table-setter or a shot-creator who profiles as one of Arkansas’ better three-point shooting threats on the roster.
He flanks a backcourt trio that features sophomore DJ Wagner and senior Johnell Davis. Despite being the underclassman of the group, his focus is on being a leader and extension of the staff at the lead guard position.
“Definitely a point guard,” Fland said. “Just being that leader on the court. Whatever coach asks me to do, I’ll do. Making sure me and my teammates are locked in on the court. I’m going to be a coach on the court.”
There is a natural adjustment phase for any freshman transitioning from high school basketball to life in the SEC.
Over the summer, Fland has had a taste of the physicality and toughness required to excel at a high level and has started the process of learning the tendencies of his teammates so he can put them in positions to succeed under the lights.
“Everybody has a little bit of bounce in their step and in their game,” Fland said. “We’re really just trying to see where everybody excels on the floor. That’s my job as a point guard to set everybody up in spots where they can score or make a play for others.”
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